Lititz, the latest victim of suburban sprawl

[csignorelli]

Originally Posted by pman

Your think the stuff going in on fruitville and harrisburg would be reasonably urban instead of pretending its 1992

True, these new shopping centers are being built in (or near) already developed areas. But for us long-time residents, seeing farm after farm being ripped up and plowed over at such an alarming rate starts to turn us off to ANY new development after awhile. We are the "garden spot" of the US, after all... home to some of the most fertile and productive farmland in the country. It's sad to see this precious natural resource being thrown away in such a careless manner. Not to mention the fact that we're slowly driving away the Amish, who are fleeing the county in pursuit of greener, less commercialized pastures. They are the ones who helped put Lancaster County "on the map" in the first place, during the tourist boom of the 1960's.

I don't mean to sound like an old fuddy-duddy. I know change is inevitable no matter where you go. It's just that in Lancaster County, it's happening so quickly and haphazardly that it deeply concerns those of us who have been here long enough.

[pman]

Originally Posted by csignorelli

True, these new shopping centers are being built in (or near) already developed areas. But for us long-time residents, seeing farm after farm being ripped up and plowed over at such an alarming rate starts to turn us off to ANY new development after awhile. We are the "garden spot" of the US, after all... home to some of the most fertile and productive farmland in the country. It's sad to see this precious natural resource being thrown away in such a careless manner. Not to mention the fact that we're slowly driving away the Amish, who are fleeing the county in pursuit of greener, less commercialized pastures. They are the ones who helped put Lancaster County "on the map" in the first place, during the tourist boom of the 1960's.

I don't mean to sound like an old fuddy-duddy. I know change is inevitable no matter where you go. It's just that in Lancaster County, it's happening so quickly and haphazardly that it deeply concerns those of us who have been here long enough.

We're not in disagreement. Were doing terrible stuff where we should have urban development and density and at the same time, perhaps as a result, were developing farms. The system is set up to encourage it. Regulations prevent towns from being built due to parking requirements and density limitations. Farm infrastructure like roads are often paid for by taxpayers while existing infrastructure is underfunded. Federal policy encourages mortgage debt. This is one of the few issues where I think rural residents and city dwellers should have common ground. Laws prevent cities from growing and encourage rural areas to develop

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by KevinE

Ugh... the once chaming little town is now being enveloped by cookie cutter developments along with some monostrosity being built across from the airport.

Lititz what happened? You were doing so well flying under the radar.

I think Lititz proper is still quite charming. I assume you’re referring to the surrounding townships with Lititz mailing addresses (not that that undermines your point).

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by pman

We're not in disagreement. Were doing terrible stuff where we should have urban development and density and at the same time, perhaps as a result, were developing farms. The system is set up to encourage it. Regulations prevent towns from being built due to parking requirements and density limitations. Farm infrastructure like roads are often paid for by taxpayers while existing infrastructure is underfunded. Federal policy encourages mortgage debt. This is one of the few issues where I think rural residents and city dwellers should have common ground. Laws prevent cities from growing and encourage rural areas to develop

There are also hidden disincentives for redevelopment. While the state of PA in the Act 2 process helped to address excessive requirements for environmentally contaminated brownfields, about at the same time newer stormwater and highway occupancy requirements kicked in that excessively burden redevelopers of early auto-era parcels with fixing perhaps more than their fair share of pre-existing runoff and traffic concerns. Those increase costs to the point where developers have an incentive to leap-frog a mile or two.

While multi-municipal or county basis zoning has been legalized for about a decade now, the primary decision point in most of the developing areas of PA has been left at the municipal level. Looking at Cumberland County for example, each row of townships typically zones the side facing Harrisburg for more intensive development, and the side away for agriculture. So now we have these concentric bands of "sprawly" developments, whether townhomes or monster warehouses, marching across the county. Perhaps charming to be able to round the bend and drop back two centuries in appearance, but objectively inefficiently spreading and increasing the burdens on the future taxpayers.

Other than the haphazard municipal planning and zoning review, the closest comprehensive environmental review for site developments is sewage planning. That process is increasingly laced with inconsistencies and arbitrariness too.

After two generations of environmental awareness, our regulatory environment deserves a refresh and rethinking of how our basic laws and regulations are administered.

[PBToast]

It is a shame they haven't changed the approach.

I really like the idea of Agrihoods, people in PA need to ask developers for these concepts when they hold town meetings regarding new development. There usually is a meeting where the plans are presented, but in many places few attend. It's hard for people to find time to go unless it's a personal issue involving their property.

Agrihoods replace golf communities for millennial homebuyers - Business Insider
What I really do not understand is why they still build such gigantic homes. Those 2-story family rooms are freezing with all the heat up near the high ceiling. Besides being noisy. How do people manage to furnish such enormous spaces? Many people I've talked to after living in one want something smaller. Not necessarily one of those mini-houses they show in TV! Just a more reasonable space. Once the kids leave you must lose each other in those places!